The present application is the national stage under 35 U.S.C. 371 of international application PCT/IB00/00365, filed Mar. 28, 2000 which designated the United States, and which international application was published under PCT Article 21(2) in the English language.
The present invention relates to a tear-off device for opening drink cans, comprising a tab with grip device for tearing, able to place in communication the interior with the exterior of the can, by means of a corresponding opening.
Devices for opening drink cans are generally constituted by a grip system, usually in the form of a ring, welded or connected to a tear-off tab of various shapes and sizes. The traction of the grip devices causes the tab to be tom off and an opening to be obtained in the lid of the can, which allows the discharge of the drink contained therein.
In the prior art for the practical realisation of such a device more pertinent to the present invention, the grip device, in rising, drags the tab with it, tearing it from the lid until its full detachment. Depending on the conformation of the tab, the opening thereby produced can have various shapes and involve in full or in part the area of the lid of the can. The most common realisations, in cans or containers of cylindrical shape, lead to the formation of openings that are either circular, on in the form of a strip of variable length. The tearing action, if it is not sufficiently controlled, is quite sudden and can, especially if the tab is considerably large relative to the lid, be hazardous: the edges of the tab are generally sharp and, therefore, potentially able to inflict cuts. The edges of the opening thereby produced are also sharp and, hence, potentially able to inflict cuts to the person who handles the open container or places his/her lips close to the opening to drink its content without spilling it. When it flows out of the opening, the drink generally comes in contact with the outer part of the lid. Moreover, in order to drink the content of the can directly, one is forced to place one""s lips close both to the external part of the lid and to the cylindrical walls of the container. The drink may thus be contaminated or a non hygienic contact for one""s lips may take place.
A subsequent and alternative realisation provides for the grip device, in rising, to thrust the tab (which in this case usually has rounded shape and limited size) inside the container. In this way, the opening is obtained without removing the tab, thereby avoiding the risk of injuries. This solves the problem of the safety of the opening, but not the hygienic problem, which in fact is aggravated: in flowing out of the opening, the drink still generally comes in contact with the external part of the lid; in order to drink the content of the can directly, one is still forced to place one""s lips both to the external part of the lid and to the cylindrical walls of the container; in addition, the tab is immersed in the drink with the consequent potential contamination thereof.  less than Insert page 2a greater than 
The aim of the present invention, therefore, is to eliminate the aforementioned drawbacks. The invention, as it is characterised by the claims, solves the problem of providing a tear-off opening device for drink cans, comprising a tab with grip device for tearing, able to place in communication the interior with the exterior of the can, by means of a corresponding opening and automatically to form a stable spout, provided with opening for the outflow of the drink, without the drink or a drinker""s lips coming in contact with parts of the can exposed to the external environment before the opening of the can itself.
The advantages obtained by means of the present invention essential consist of the fact that, thanks to the presence and to the particular way whereby the spout is formed, the following are guaranteed: the orderly and uniform outflow of the drink from the can; the hygiene of use of the can for pouring the drink it contains into another container; the hygienic contact for the lips when drinking directly from the can. Also prevented, during the outflow, are spillage or discharges of drink outside In document U.S. Pat. No. 3,473,705 a container is disclosed having a pull tab type tear strip for providing an opening in the container on removal of said tear strip, wherein, when the container is closed, a substantially flat flexible body portion is located within the container adjacent and in substantial parallelism with the underside of the lid of the container. In that configuration, the body portion is supported at one end by the tear strip itself and, at the opposite end by a bead connected to the lid. Tearing off the strip causes said body portion to be raised and deformed from its substantially flat condition to a spout-like shape by cooperation between the tearing action and the engagement with the sides of the opening formed on removal of the tear strip. During this operation, the opposite ends of the bead move toward the opening, to let two notches engage the edge of the opening itself, thus providing a stop for limiting further movement of the body portion, so that tear strip may break-away therefrom without pulling the spout from the container. Only part of the bead (namely the central part) remains connected to the lid and retains one end of the body portion within the container. The risk to separate the spout from the can is not completely avoided, due to the conformation of the notches and to the small connection between the bead and the lid. The spout has a structure which is interrupted in correspondence of the edges of the opening and, therefore, there is the risk of spilling the liquid contained in the can along the external side of the lateral parts of the spout itself, when the liquid is poured for drinking. the spout. Another advantage obtained by means of the present invention essentially consists of the fact that, thanks to the characteristics of the spout and to the succession of transitory configurations followed during the phase whereby it is formed, it is possible to minimise the risk of cuts or small injuries when tearing the tab or contacting the opening with the lips.